What's Changed?
by SharpeBB
Summary: When Tai's curiosity gets the better of him, he does whatever he can to answer the question burning in his mind.


**A bit of an overdone concept I know, but I just felt the urge to write a Takari story, with Takari not being the main focus, and this is what I got.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Damn it Kamiya! I thought I told you never to let this happen!"

"It's not like I'm exactly happy about it myself Hiro. Besides, it happened without my knowledge. I wouldn't have stopped it anyway!"

Tai Kamiya was sitting in a restaurant booth with three of his teammates. They had finished a long day of training a couple of hours ago and decided they needed to gorge themselves silly to replenish their lost energy. Everything had been quite enjoyable, until one of Tai's friends had noticed something at a restaurant across the street.

Sitting at a table on the patio was Kari. And she was holding hands with her new boyfriend, TK.

Although he wasn't really her 'new' boyfriend at all. Only Tai's knowledge of the relationship was new. When his sister had informed him of her relationship with TK the previous week, she added that they had already been together for almost two months. Tai however, had been so upset at the time that the information didn't resonate with him until a couple of days later. He had been to focused on hurting TK.

He was so livid in the moment, that he had chased TK out of the apartment. When he eventually caught the younger boy, he had punched him in the arm so hard that Tai could still make out the large bruise from across the street.

While Tai hadn't intended to hurt TK, and had apologised profusely, Kari hadn't spoken to him since it happened.

So instead, Tia had been thinking about his sister's relationship a lot. He thought about how it changed things, and how he would have to act now. He hadn't, however, thought about his teammates. Many of whom liked to try and impress Kari.

"I just can't believe you let me down like this Tai. Your sister's way too hot to be wasted on some middle school kid. She should be with someone older and more mature. Like me!"

Tai couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Okay first, I'm not even a fan of her best friend, a kid I've known since he was eight, dating her. Why the hell would I let you touch her? Second, Kari is a million times more mature than you. She's never pulled down a teacher's pants by mistake when trying to prank a friend."

Tai's other two friends laughed at Hiro's discomfort, who quickly decided to shift the topic. As the three others began to discuss an upcoming tournament, Tai shifted his gaze back across the street.

He hadn't given any thought to watching Kai and TK, but now that he was near them, Tai couldn't help but do just that. He was curious as to how they would act with one another now, which was something he had never cared about before.

And the protective side of him wanted to make sure the little punk didn't try anything too fresh with his sister. If it was well deserved, Tai had no problem giving a beating.

A few minutes went by and Tai's friends decided it was time to get the cheque. As the waiter came to deliver the bills and everyone paid, Tai momentarily lost track of Kari and TK. When everything was settled and he looked across the street again, he saw that they were gone.

Suddenly panicked that he would lose track of them, Tai urged his friends outside as subtly as he could. He wanted to keep tabs on his sister, but he didn't want his friends to know that. The amount of teasing he would receive would be unbearable.

"So Tai, you gonna come over and play some video games for a bit?" Hiro asked as the four teenagers got onto the sidewalk.

"No, I don't think so," Tai said, scanning the street, "I think I'm just gonna head home."

"You just wanna make sure that Kari doesn't have too much fun with her new boyfriend since your folks are out of town, right?" another one of the boys asked.

"Exactly," Tai smirked, "You guys know me so well."

"Whatever Kamiya. Just don't be too creepy. See you at practise next week!"

"Talk to you guys later," Tai waved as his friends began to walk away.

"Bye!"

"See ya!"

Tai turned in the opposite direction and began to walk briskly. He had thought he'd seen a flash of TK's blonde hair that way a minute ago, but he couldn't see it now.

IF Kari and TK were just going to head back to the apartment, then Tai could just go that way himself and save some time. But if they were going to go for a walk, which they often did even before they started dating, there were a few too many options for Tai to choose from.

"Okay Tai, think! What would you do?" he asked himself.

As Tai crossed the first intersection he came to, he tried to figure out what they might do and where they liked to go. He also wondered where other couples would often go on warm nights like that one. Suddenly, the answer hit him.

The park.

Not only was the park just a typical, almost cliché, spot for couples to spend time, it was also where Kari and TK spent most of their time together anyway. They had a favourite bench, a favourite tree, even a secret spot that they thought was completely hidden. It was a safe bet that the park would be their destination.

And thankfully, Tai knew the park quite well himself. He even knew where their supposed 'secret spot' was. So he knew where he could observe them inconspicuously.

He turned down the street and swiftly walked towards the park. There was still no sign of blonde hair, so Tai knew he didn't have to hide himself yet. However, he stayed alert in case the young couple had taken a different route than he did. If they suddenly appeared and saw him, the idea of watching them that night would completely go to waste.

It didn't take Tai long to reach the park. He was tall, a fast walker, and was on his own so he didn't have anyone slowing him down. He crossed the grass and made his way over to a bush at the edge of a garden. Bending down, he pretended to tie his shoe, using the bush for cover. Raising his head slightly, Tai's eyes scanned the park, looking for Kari and TK.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for the younger boy's blonde hair to stand out.

They were about a hundred metres away, sitting on 'their bench'. Kari's head on TK's shoulder while his arm was wrapped around her.

Tai straightened himself and slowly moved several feet closer to the young couple. He kept an eye out for appropriate cover to observe them as he moved. There was a small stone bench that was well hidden and fairly close to them, or there was a large cherry tree with low hanging branches that was slightly further away. Tai paused for a moment to make up his mind, before moving to the tree. It was slightly more open than the bench, but he couldn't be able to overhear Kari and TK at the tree. He felt that he was already watching them closely enough, and didn't need to invade their privacy anymore.

So Tai reached the tree and leant against it. He flipped open his phone in order to pretend he was texting someone, just so he wouldn't appear so obvious.

As he settled himself in to observe, he looked back at Kari and TK. They didn't really seem to be doing much other than talking. In fact, apart from their cuddling, there was no real indication that the two of them were dating. Every few minutes, Tai would hear a loud laugh from one or both of them. Other than that, he couldn't make out a word of what they were saying.

Tai gave a small sigh of relief; happy he had chosen the tree as his hiding spot. Even before they started going out, Tai tried to avoid getting too much from Kari and TK's conversations. They had their own lives, and friends, and it wasn't Tai's business to know about it all.

But it didn't stop him from being curious about what they would talk about now. Every few minutes, he had to resist the urge to move closer.

For over half an hour, Tai kept up his vigil. Kari and TK remained on the bench while he watched. There had only been one kiss so far, which Tai was pleased about. It had only lasted a few seconds, and Tai was almost certain there had been no tongue involved, which was a great comfort to him.

Finally, Tai decided that nothing untoward was going to happen, so he decided to leave the park. However just as he emerged from the branches, he heard a familiar voice.

"Oh my god. You weren't really spying on my brother and Kari, were you?"

With a slight groan, Tai turned around to see the smirking face of Matt, along with a concerned looking Sora.

"There's no answer I can give that will get me out of this, is there?" Tai asked, sighing.

"Of course not," Matt laughed.

Sora rolled her eyes before speaking, "You haven't really been spying on them have you Tai? I know you're concerned, but it isn't healthy to spend an entire evening monitoring your sister while she's out!"

"I haven't been spying!" Tai shot back defensively. "I mean, I've been keeping an eye on them for the last little while. But only because I saw them while I was eating with the guys! And I guess my curiosity got the better of me."

Tai turned away from his two friends for a moment, his guilt eating away at him. He felt a lot worse about being caught by Sora and Matt, than he would have if Kari caught him.

"I haven't been listening in on them. I don't want to know what they're saying. But I just wanted to see… I don't know. If there was anything different about them."

He turned back to face Sora and Matt. Sora still appeared concerned, but Matt's smirk had been replaced by a look of understanding.

"You know what Tai? I Get that. I honestly do," Matt told him. "I think it's just one of those things about being an older sibling. You're always wondering what they younger one is becoming."

"And I'm sure it's different when you've got a little sister," he continued, "Despite it being somewhat antiquated, I think there will always be something that makes older brothers very protective of their little sisters."

"In my cause, it's just out of fear of being yelled at by my mom again," Tai joked.

The three teenagers laughed for a few seconds, Tai feeling a sense of relief in the momentary distraction. Once they calmed down, Sora posed another question for him.

"So, have you noticed anything different about Kari and TK?"

Tai pursed his limps and hung his head slightly as he compiled his thoughts on what he and seen over the last little while.

"For the most part, no. I don't think so," he replied. "I mean, there's the kissing and more obvious displays of affection, but other than that, it all seems very familiar. They still seem pretty much the exact same. Though that might be due to the fact that they've been dating for a while, so their patterns may have changed subtly without me noticing."

"I'd say nothing's really changed," Matt said. "I've ben monitoring them as well, though I haven't started staking them, ever since they began daring. And I really haven't seen any differences. They really do seem to be the same TK and Kari."

"Wait, what do you mean 'since they started dating'?" Sora asked.

"Oh right. Yeah, TK told me they were dating like, the day after he asked her out," Matt grinned.

"WHAT?!" Tai and Sora shouted together.

"Yeah," Matt continued sheepishly, "TK was really worried you'd kill him once you found out Tai. So he asked for a little protection."

"So you've known the whole time, and you didn't tell anyone? Why?" Sora demanded.

"TK and Kari asked me not to," Matt answered simply. "And I don't blame them. They've basically got six older siblings each, and it's easy for us to see them as our younger siblings, blood related or not. They were worried about everyone's reactions. Especially Tai's."

Tai sighed and hung his head. A wave of guilt crashed over him.

"I get that. And I don't want it to be a big deal. But I just don't know what to make of it."

He turned to look back at the young couple, only to discover they were gone. Once again, they had slipped away from him. He sighed once more and massaged his temple, wishing he could comprehend everything, so that things would start to make sense.

He felt a light touch on his arm. Turning, he saw Sora giving him a small smile, her hand resting just above his elbow.

"You're not going to figure it out this second. Come on, let's go to a movie. We'll talk more as we walk."

Tai smiled and nodded. Together, the three teenagers left the park.

* * *

It was almost midnight when Tai returned home and entered the apartment.

The movie was rather long, and after it was finished he had gone for a walk with Sora. It had been an enjoyable few hours. So enjoyable, Tai had forgotten what had been perplexing him earlier in the day. But he was reminded as soon as he entered the living room.

Kari and TK were asleep on the couch, their arms wrapped around one another. Kari's head was laying on TK's chest, her hair fluttering lightly every time TK exhaled through his nose.

Tai couldn't help but grin. It was a pretty cute scene to behold. The pair of them had matching smiles on their faces. Tai could almost feel the affection they clearly felt for one another.

Sitting down in a chair opposite them, Tai ran a hand through his hair. Despite how cute it was, Tai still wasn't a hundred percent sure he actually liked seeing his little sister snuggling with some guy. Even if the guy was TK.

After all, she was barely a teenager. She still had so much to learn and experience. There was the rest of middle school. Then high school. Then university. Then starting life on her own. Kari was still young. She didn't need a boyfriend right away, there would be time for that later.

But Tai knew he was in not real position to judge. He had been interested in girls when he was their age. He had even gone on a couple of dates. Nothing close to what Kari and TK were doing, but it had happened to him. Just like he knew it happened to so many other people.

Tai was just about to rub his eyes, when a sudden movement on the couch caught his attention.

Tai didn't know if it was intentional or not, but TK shifted his head slightly, and gently kissed Kari's forehead. Kari nuzzled her head against TK in response, her smile widening.

And in that moment, Tai knew everything he needed to.

It didn't matter what his thoughts or opinions were. This wasn't about him. It was about Kari.

All that mattered was that Kari was happy. If having a boyfriend made Kari happy, then Tai could accept that.

And if that boyfriend was TK, Tai could feel a sense of satisfaction, knowing that no one would care for his sister more than the blonde boy on his couch.

Tai stood up and walked to the cupboard in the hallway. He opened it and took out a blanket. Quietly and gently, he returned to the living room and placed the blanket on top of Kari and TK.

He straightened himself up and smiled.

"Good night you two."

Turning around, Tai went to his room to go to bed. Feeling happier than he had in a while.


End file.
